Destination Details

The Jade buddha temple was founded in 1882 to house two white jade Buddhas brought from Burma the year before by a monk of Putuo Shan. Destroyed and then abandoned after the 1911, the temple buildings were reconstructed on the same site in 1918-28.

Now a monastery of Chan (Zen) Buddhism, the Jade Buddha Temple serves foreign tourists and local devotees in equal measures.

The Jade Buddha Temple is not famed for its architecture, which is very new and built in a standard Song Dynasty style, but the two Buddhas housed within. Both are made of white jade in Burma and depict Shakyamuni Buddha (the historical Buddha).

The most impressive of the two is the seated Buddha, 2 meters (6 feet 5 inches) tall, weighing 205 kg (452 lb) and decorated with semi-precious stones. The other statue is a serene and beautiful Reclining Buddha about 1 meter (3 feet 4 inches) long.